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How to solder (a motor)

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Most sensored brushless motors don't seem to come with wires attached.  I had to learn to solder a brushless motor.  I figure I'll post a "how to" for people like me.  

60 watt or hotter irons work better.  30w-40w will make you doubt your skills.  It's not your skills.  They just get cooled too much every time you solder.  

I used 14 gauge wires ($1.50 for 1m each).  If you want to go smaller turn than 10.5t, thicker 12 gauge would be better.  (Tamiya ESC's wires are 16 gauge, so... but TBLE-02S isn't suitable for anything faster than 10.5t, so 14 AWG is fine in this case)  

10 pairs of 4mm connectors were $3.60.  Enough plugs for 3 motors.  

Pure tin, some silver & flux is stronger than stuff with lead. (lead is weak and toxic anyway)  

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[ I cut the wires to about 3 inch and a 1/4 (about 8cm).  But the length is up to you ]

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[ Tinning will make it easy for the wires to stick into the plugs. The gator clip wouldn't hold all 3 at the same time. ]

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[ This shows two gator clips holding both ends, but I held the wire and slightly pushed it in as it melted. ]

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[ I only had black and red heat-shrink tubes ]

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[ A plier can be a nice cradle for the motor, so it won't roll around ] 

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[ "A" turned out to be a bit more voluptuous than B and C, but that's fine ] 

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[ Tip tinner is very convenient.  Just stick it in while it's hot.  If you don't tin the tip, it will oxidize and become blunt after a few times ]

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[ A Tamiya Club member let me know the colors.  A,B,C contacts are Blue, Yellow, and Orange.  "Bring Your Own"  Booze is missing! ]

These 4mm connectors get plugged to Tamiya TBLE-02S ESCs just fine -- even though these are not the traditional "bullet connectors."  You will still need a sensor wire.  Trackstar motors come with a sensor wire.   

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Great write-up.

Do you use flux?  I never used flux until recently when I had lots of trouble with something that just wouldn't solder, and I bought a flux pen from Maplin (just before they closed).  The pen isn't a great applicator but it works.

Thanks for the tip on tin - I should get some of that.  I also use an Iroda iron and it gets through tips quite quickly.  I'm about to start doing a lot more soldering so I need to up my game.

Have you tried to solder a TrackStar ESC?  I just couldn't get the solder to melt on the last TrackStar I bought, even with flux and pre-tinned joints.  I ended up with solder everywhere and a dead ESC.  It might have been DOA but with unsoldered connectors I can't be sure if I killed it with heat.

I have also accidentally melted several ESC fans with the iron exhaust before now - top tip - remove ESC fans and other ancillaries before soldering!

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Good write up, good pics.

I got one of the following third hands in anticipation of the XT90 plugs I'm adding to things.

mirewiw13lplE_FJqQIU_xA.jpg

Also got some magnifying glasses cos my eyes can't focus on the small stuff up close any more :o

 

 

If I may be so bold ... I think you've used too much solder, on the plugs for sure. Should be shiny and you should be able to see the strands on the tinned wire ends, even when they're soldered to the plug. The solder looks dull, which I think means too much heat ... but it's been 20 years since I've been professionally judged on the quality of my soldering so don't trust my memory on that point :o

Not sure on the motor -- I've not done those before, and they look like they need a bit of meat to protect them from the wires being moved. Looks a silly way to design a motor and leads IMUO.

Probably doesn't matter and I don't mean to be a know it all -- honest! :D

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8 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

Great write-up.

Do you use flux?  I never used flux until recently when I had lots of trouble with something that just wouldn't solder, and I bought a flux pen from Maplin (just before they closed).  The pen isn't a great applicator but it works.

Thanks for the tip on tin - I should get some of that.  I also use an Iroda iron and it gets through tips quite quickly.  I'm about to start doing a lot more soldering so I need to up my game.

Have you tried to solder a TrackStar ESC?  I just couldn't get the solder to melt on the last TrackStar I bought, even with flux and pre-tinned joints.  I ended up with solder everywhere and a dead ESC.  It might have been DOA but with unsoldered connectors I can't be sure if I killed it with heat.

I have also accidentally melted several ESC fans with the iron exhaust before now - top tip - remove ESC fans and other ancillaries before soldering!

Thank you, 

I'm hesitant to use an iron that burns fuel (unless you are outside and can't get to wall sockets).  My guess is that the iron didn't get hot enough.  Also blunt tips tend to heat up things you didn't intend to heat up.  

I tinned 3 plugs, 3 contacts, 6 tips, and soldered 6 points.  That's 18 times.  None took more than 2 seconds (mostly 1 second).  Fast enough that the whole thing didn't have to get heated up.   Tin melts at 450 degree C.  The motor has a black plastic part.  Too much heat wouldn't have been good.  But the iron was quick about it. 

The solder has some flux in it.  I do have a pen too, but it's hard to use so I'm not using it.  With enough heat, many things will just stick.  So my guess would be that your butane iron might not heat up fast enough.  I've butchered many things with 30W iron in the past.  I feel like I can solder 10 times better now, but it's not me, it's the iron.  

 

7 hours ago, Kamikuza said:

Good write up, good pics.

I got one of the following third hands in anticipation of the XT90 plugs I'm adding to things.

mirewiw13lplE_FJqQIU_xA.jpg

Also got some magnifying glasses cos my eyes can't focus on the small stuff up close any more :o

 

 

If I may be so bold ... I think you've used too much solder, on the plugs for sure. Should be shiny and you should be able to see the strands on the tinned wire ends, even when they're soldered to the plug. The solder looks dull, which I think means too much heat ... but it's been 20 years since I've been professionally judged on the quality of my soldering so don't trust my memory on that point :o

Not sure on the motor -- I've not done those before, and they look like they need a bit of meat to protect them from the wires being moved. Looks a silly way to design a motor and leads IMUO.

Probably doesn't matter and I don't mean to be a know it all -- honest! :D

I've seen that purple tentacle thingies!  I wanted to get it, but what I have was only like $5.  So I'm getting by with that for now.  Is the base heavy enough, so it wouldn't tip over?  The alligator clip could get hot, can the orange neck handle the heat?  

About the plugs... I got worried, because they will get yanked... I figure better safe than sorry.   

The solder looking dull might (partially) be because the tip was dirty.  I should have cleaned it better.  I think I have heard of something about the shine before.  I should look that up... Oh, I just found something else instead.  I guess tin+silver is naturally duller than tin+lead?  

mokxAVY.jpg

Tin seems to be stronger too.  (Maybe because tin melts at 450 C while lead melts at 350 C?)  The connection to the motor does look wimpy.  I would have felt more comfortable if the motor had beefy contacts, like this Reedy motor below.  But I could hold those 3 wires and swing my arm around, and it feels like it won't do anything.  (I haven't tested that, though. I'm a chicken. I don't go boldly where no man has gone before...)  

The magnifying glass is not very useful.  I had resisted getting bifocals for a year, but I got them last year.  But it's still easier to just take off my glasses since I'm nearsighted.  If I go naked eyes, though, I'm worried about the iron flinging hot flux in my eyes (I should get wear goggles)...  

v2LAqAy.jpg

 

 

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12 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

Great write-up.

Do you use flux?  I never used flux until recently when I had lots of trouble with something that just wouldn't solder, and I bought a flux pen from Maplin (just before they closed).  The pen isn't a great applicator but it works.

Thanks for the tip on tin - I should get some of that.  I also use an Iroda iron and it gets through tips quite quickly.  I'm about to start doing a lot more soldering so I need to up my game.

Have you tried to solder a TrackStar ESC?  I just couldn't get the solder to melt on the last TrackStar I bought, even with flux and pre-tinned joints.  I ended up with solder everywhere and a dead ESC.  It might have been DOA but with unsoldered connectors I can't be sure if I killed it with heat.

I have also accidentally melted several ESC fans with the iron exhaust before now - top tip - remove ESC fans and other ancillaries before soldering!

I own a Trackstar 80A esc if you arent soldering very often, it can seem like a real mess. 

Great little how to! I know I needed such a turtorial when I got my 13,5T V2 and 80A esc the first time hah

also I remeber, while searching in google “solder will not stick to motor”, to find very good information on rcuniverse.

 

basically the tip is important, in my opinion, the small dot pointed tip is not good for esc motor stuff, I am alwys lately using a small flat tip, heats up the copernvery nicely and fast so the solder can stick to the coper. And it will be nice and shiny if a good temperature is reached while you tin the coper connectors or wire ends. The surfe you are applying the solder to needs to reach a similar temperature as the iron, so that the solder jumps from the iron to the coper/wire. Important not to overheat exactly, maybe use a fan in your soldering station to blow air while soldering

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9 hours ago, Juggular said:

Thank you, 

I'm hesitant to use an iron that burns fuel (unless you are outside and can't get to wall sockets).  My guess is that the iron didn't get hot enough.  Also blunt tips tend to heat up things you didn't intend to heat up.  

I tinned 3 plugs, 3 contacts, 6 tips, and soldered 6 points.  That's 18 times.  None took more than 2 seconds (mostly 1 second).  Fast enough that the whole thing didn't have to get heated up.   Tin melts at 450 degree C.  The motor has a black plastic part.  Too much heat wouldn't have been good.  But the iron was quick about it. 

The solder has some flux in it.  I do have a pen too, but it's hard to use so I'm not using it.  With enough heat, many things will just stick.  So my guess would be that your butane iron might not heat up fast enough.  I've butchered many things with 30W iron in the past.  I feel like I can solder 10 times better now, but it's not me, it's the iron.  

 

I've seen that purple tentacle thingies!  I wanted to get it, but what I have was only like $5.  So I'm getting by with that for now.  Is the base heavy enough, so it wouldn't tip over?  The alligator clip could get hot, can the orange neck handle the heat?  

About the plugs... I got worried, because they will get yanked... I figure better safe than sorry.   

The solder looking dull might (partially) be because the tip was dirty.  I should have cleaned it better.  I think I have heard of something about the shine before.  I should look that up... Oh, I just found something else instead.  I guess tin+silver is naturally duller than tin+lead?  

Tin seems to be stronger too.  (Maybe because tin melts at 450 C while lead melts at 350 C?)  The connection to the motor does look wimpy.  I would have felt more comfortable if the motor had beefy contacts, like this Reedy motor below.  But I could hold those 3 wires and swing my arm around, and it feels like it won't do anything.  (I haven't tested that, though. I'm a chicken. I don't go boldly where no man has gone before...)  

The magnifying glass is not very useful.  I had resisted getting bifocals for a year, but I got them last year.  But it's still easier to just take off my glasses since I'm nearsighted.  If I go naked eyes, though, I'm worried about the iron flinging hot flux in my eyes (I should get wear goggles)...  

When I worked in the factory, IIRC the only time flux got used was either massive components or for the flow-solder machine. I don't remember it being necessary for the reason you said.

 

The base is ok, but there's a hole in it to bolt it down if you need, I guess. Or deploy the arms you aren't using to assist :D the tension in the arm joints is quite strong, so I imagine that'd work.

Shouldn't be that much heat going into the clips :D I don't imagine it'll be a problem.

Price was literally a couple of bucks either way. I think I paid a few pennies under Y3,000 (US$26?). I could have got almost the same thing for like $5 less, but I wanted the one with a circular depression in the base for the roll of solder. The metal ones inevitably came with the magnifying glass or lights, so the price was comparable. The same thing (three metal clips etc) in a DIY store was $45 :o 

I have a desk-mounted glass with light, but find it gets in the way, so I splurged $10 on a pair of 1.8x glasses, and a 5-lens "visor" thing. The advantage of the visor is I can change the lens magnification (and thus the focal length) if my nose gets too close to the iron :D My issue is I can't focus on things close to my face...and the effect distance I can is too far for small text or fine work :(

 

That tub of tip tinner... So now I'm going to be rude and question your technique :D I'm assuming you use a damp sponge to clean your tip between soldering joints? Or any time it looks gunky or dull...?

I use the tip tinner when it won't come up shiny again after wiping, maybe after every second or third soldering. Clean tip that's nicely tinned (even add a little solder before you work on the wire) spreads heat better and melts the solder quickly, allowing a better transfer into your wire. Less heat to go into the work...

 

Yeah that motor almost looks like it wants a bolt and eye terminal mounted on it. The Reedy one looks better but I guess you paid extra for it...? Soldering is better, less resistance or something -- the magic black smoke flows through the circuit faster :D

 

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So-ooo ... now you got me looking on Amazon for a new soldering iron :D

I'm amazed at the prices now -- can get a whole bunch of kit (including a multimeter!) and a tool box for $30 :o

But now I'm asking myself ... do I need a multimeter with an oscilloscope built in? :D

Oh and according to Amazon, a lot of people like to pair their soldering iron kit with a nice purple ... vibrator.

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On 1/5/2019 at 1:08 PM, Kamikuza said:

Oh and according to Amazon, a lot of people like to pair their soldering iron kit with a nice purple ... vibrator.

I'm guessing people are taking home-hacks to a whole new level...  I've heard of soldering in a higher power motor and ESC for your car, but for you....  No, let's not go there...

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14 minutes ago, Mad Ax said:

I'm guessing people are taking home-hacks to a whole new level...  I've heard of soldering in a higher power motor and ESC for your car, but for you....  No, let's not go there...

It's not the first time. Stores nearby only have CRC believe it or not, and I was looking for actual WD-40 recently ... and then some silicon-based grease caught my eye.

Click.

Then the "people who bought this also bought..." caught my eye. Dunno how much of a family forum this is, but you remember that Norm MacDonald scene in Deuce Bigilow? In the bar, when Deuce can't pay for the cranberry juice and Norm threatens him with a swizzle stick? Yeah apparently that's actually a popular hobby here :o

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we are probably straying outside the boundaries of what is considered appropriate for TamiyaClub, so I will politely bow out and make no further replies on the subject (whilst quietly giggling to myself and adding a few more project ideas onto the Arduino todo list...)

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What Juggluar wrote above will set you on the right course. At my work I’m required to hold a solder certification to the NASA 8739.3 spec.  Inspectors like to see less solder than more used. No cut strands of wire and Use a solder wick to remove solder after tinning the plugs and wires.  Clean clean clean. Clean your soldering iron on a sponge and put a bit of solder on it before putting it back in your holder. Clean your solderjoints of flux and other burned stuff with Isopropyl alcohol. 

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I didn't know NASA had soldering specs.  But in hindsight, it makes sense to have them.  

Less is good so it won't go over the solder pad.  1) When things get heated up, larger blobs could expand.  2) if extra solder happens to melt, that could flow and short circuit.  3) lead is heavy, every ounce counts for NASA.  Just enough to make solid contact is good.  They even say to work in 30%-70% humidity.  Impressive stuff.  

I should really clean between soldering... 

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58 minutes ago, Juggular said:

I didn't know NASA had soldering specs.  But in hindsight, it makes sense to have them.   

 

13 hours ago, Shodog said:

At my work I’m required to hold a solder certification to the NASA 8739.3 spec

NASA's standards for soldering are downright fascinating... if you're into that sorta thing ;)

www.sal.wisc.edu/docs/Soldering%20Basics.pdf

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Nasa mandates less solder so it’s less likely to wick solder under the wire jacket.  That is a common fail point for wire when it is shaken like crazy on launch. Having to demonstrate my profiency every year has made me a better solderer.  

 

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3 minutes ago, Shodog said:

Nasa mandates less solder so it’s less likely to wick solder under the wire jacket.  That is a common fail point for wire when it is shaken like crazy on launch. Having to demonstrate my profiency every year has made me a better solderer.  

 

That's really cool that you have trained at this level B) This might be something a may check into; I like to solder, but still feel like I have much to learn.

I worked as an industrial plumber for a short period of time, and using less solder was also standard for sweating or brazing pipe fittings. "Just enough to fill the gap" was the mantra. Inspectors need to see that the joins are done properly, and big globs of excess solder were an automatic failure on sight.

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I stumbled on the NASA approved method of joining two wires when I was googling to make sure I wasn't talking crap due to memory failure :D

Wow, the specs on the wire stripping is tough...!

Got the six-arm stand set up -- looks like something out of The Matrix :D

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